1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to accessories useful in conjunction with the outdoor activity of fishing. The present invention relates more specifically to hand held fishing nets that incorporate measurement devices for weighing fish that are caught and optionally measurement devices for determining their length.
2. Description of the Related Art
The activity of fishing has for a long time been characterized as an outdoor sporting activity instead of the more basic sustenance activity that it previously had been characterized as going back into ancient history. The sport of fishing typically involves the catching of a fish with a fishing rod and reel configured with fishing line and one or more fish hooks. The sport typically involves either the retention of the fish (for consumption) or the release of the fish back into the water. In any event, the sport of fishing has as one of its primary characteristics, the measurement of the size of the fish being caught. This is the case whether the fish is being retained for consumption or in cases of catch and release. In almost every instance of fishing, therefore, it becomes important to measure the weight and/or the length of the fish being caught.
This process of measuring the size of the fish that is caught is relevant for two purposes. First, the size of the fish is often considered to be the measure of the success of the participant in the sporting event. Second, and often more importantly, the size of the fish is the determining factor in whether or not the participant is allowed by law to retain the fish once caught. Fishing, and retaining various species of fish, is often restricted according to the size of the fish wherein too small (and sometimes too large) fish are often prohibited from being retained. It is therefore very important in the outdoor activity of fishing to be able to measure the weight and/or the length of the fish being caught.
As indicated above, fish are typically caught in the outdoor activity through the use of a fishing rod and reel configured with a fishing line and a hook. When a fish is caught on a hook, the fish is typically reeled in to a point near the fisherman, where it is removed from the water. In most cases it is preferable to remove the fish from the water using a fishing net rather than to pull it directly from the water with only the fishing line and hook. A common accessory associated with the outdoor activity of fishing is therefore a hand held fishing net. There are many varieties of such nets but most include a longitudinal handle attached to an oval or circular loop from which is suspended a flexible woven net basket.
In order to carry out the requirements of weighing a fish and measuring its length a variety of accessories have also been developed. The most commonly used accessory for the purpose of weighing a fish is a fishing weight scale of the type that generally involves a spring-loaded linear-movable scale to which the fish is hooked, either directly onto a metal hook on the end of the scale, or indirectly by looping a stringer line through the fish and over the scale end hook. In either case, the linear spring scale is held up by the fisherman and the fish is allowed to dangle below the scale causing movement of the scale indicator and allowing for an eyesight measurement of the weight of the fish. Such weighing, however, will typically require the removal of the fish from the hook and the subsequent placement of a stringer line through the fish or the appropriate placement of the scale hook on the fish. In either case, there are significant additional steps that the fisherman must take in order to remove the fish from the fishing net and to then place and position the fish in conjunction with the scale for weight measurement.
Measuring the length of a fish that has been caught is somewhat easier in standard practice insofar as the hook and line need not be immediately removed from the fish. It is frequently necessary, however, to carry the fish away from the water to a point on the ground, on a table, or on the top of a tackle box or an ice chest, to make an accurate measurement of its length using a tape measure or a ruler. It is not uncommon for ruled measurements to be printed or formed (etched or molded) into the surfaces of various large implements, such as ice chests, coolers, fishing tackle boxes, and the like.
In any event, it is a problem in the existing art to easily measure the weight and length of a fish that has been caught without taking many additional steps to remove the fish from the fishing line and hook and positioning it in conjunction with the fishing scale and/or the length measuring ruler. It would be desirable to have a device to measure the weight of a fish, and in a similar manner measure its length, that did not require the many intermediate steps that not only require additional time, but also damage the health of the fish. It would be desirable if such weight and length measurements could be made immediately after removing the fish from the water, anticipating that the next action might be to release the catch back into the water as unharmed as possible.
Efforts have been made in the past to incorporate both weight measuring devices and length measuring devices into or onto the structures of typical fishing nets. Some very complicated structures have been developed that incorporate weight scales into the handles of fishing nets, while other devices have designed length measuring rulers into the handles or into the net components of the fishing nets. In every instance, however, these devices tend to be overly complex and therefore not very rugged when used in the outdoor environment. Most notably, weight scales that have been incorporated into fishing nets are frequently positioned in such a manner that they are likely to be immersed in water and as such are likely to rust or otherwise degrade over time as a result of such exposure. Other efforts in the past have significantly compromised the integrity and the strength of the fishing net (specifically the handle component) in an effort to incorporate the weight scale or the length measuring devices into the overall structure of the fishing net.
There is therefore a need to provide a simple yet durable weight measuring device integral with a fishing net accessory, such that a caught fish may be easily weighed while still positioned in the net. It would be desirable if such a combination device could be constructed so as to not sacrifice the durability of the handle of the fishing net during ordinary use (as a net). It would further be desirable if a length measuring device (a ruler) were likewise readily available in conjunction with the fishing net so as to provide a measure of the length of the fish without the need to remove it to a separate location.